Adding Interest To the Garden With Ornamental Grass
A group of plants that get forgotten in the garden for most of the year, but deserve greater appreciation for the texture and balance they provide are ornamental grasses. They can be used as a single clump to provide valuable filler foliage or as a showy centrepiece arrangement standing proudly in the middle of the garden. The can even be grouped together to form ground covering borders or hedgerows, such is their versatility.
For the most part, ornamental grass varieties aren’t fussy about the soil types they are given. With water conservation an ever-present consideration these days, ornamental grasses become an ideal garden choice with many of them drought tolerant with the exception of sedges. They require a variety of positions but will generally do best in a sunny to partially shady position.
Taking a look at a few specific types of ornamental grasses we can get a grasp of the diversity of uses they exhibit.
Some, such as Muhly Grass will sit largely unnoticed in the garden blending in with its neighbours as an unremarkable looking plant that grows to a height of around 3 foot. But come the end of summer it really comes out of its shell and produces a resounding display of deep pink-red inflorescence giving it a real cotton candy look.
In larger gardens you may find an ornamental grass such as Pampas Grass commanding attention as a magnificent clump ruling over the rest of the garden looking visually stunning. The plumage of the Pampas Grass can be quite showy with a coice of either white or pink and various shades in between sitting up to 12 feet tall. You have to be careful not to let Pampas Grass grow out of control as it is considered a noxious weed in some areas.
On the smaller end of the scale is the Mondo Grasses with varieties such as the black, dwarf, giant and a variegated form these are a versatile and useful addition to the garden. Used as a groundcover or low border they can really define the tone of a garden.
A quick run through of some of the popular ornamental grasses to consider includes: Fountain Grass, Bunny Tails, Blue Fescue, Maiden Grass, Pennisetum, Northern Sea Oats, Zebra Grass and Blood Grass.
I think you will find that it will pay big dividends when planning your garden layout to find out about the characteristics of some of the more popular types of ornamental grasses to give your garden a wildly eclectic feel.
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